Australia: Megaproject Haven

Australia is quickly becoming the destination of choice among large U.S. contractors. It has yielded some of the world’s largest projects, centered on the country’s natural resources.

Photo: Coutesy Of Bechtel

For example, Bechtel is working on four liquefied natural-gas projects there, including Queens-land Curtis, Gladstone LNG and Australia Pacific, all located on Curtis Island off Australia’s east coast. The firm is also working on Chevron’s Wheatstone LNG project in northeast Australia. “All these are multibillion-dollar projects,” says Bill Dudley, Bechtel’s president.

Fluor is working on the Gladstone project and, in February, won a contract from Woodside for the Browse LNG Development project off Australia’s west coast. “Until about 20 years ago, [Australia] was a net importer of natural gas. Now it will be supplying energy to much of Asia,” says Steve Dobbs, senior group president.

KBR is also working on Browse LNG, says Bill Utt, CEO. In January, the firm won a job for the 140-turbine Macarthur Wind Farm, near Victoria, which is expected to be the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere.

Bechtel has four mining projects for BHP-Billiton in Australia alone, including the Crinum North Coal Mine in Queensland.

Gary J. Tulacz has been, since 1993, senior editor in charge of ENR's Top Lists, which bring structure to the huge global construction industry through annual surveys and market analysis of its key segments and major players. The array of surveys rank companies, based both in the U.S. and outside, which perform general contracting, specialty contracting, engineering, architecture and environmental services, among other specialties.

The rankings, based on annual revenue from work at home and abroad, are further divided into specific market categories. Click here for descriptions and schedules of ENR Top List surveys and access to information on current and past listed firms.

Gary also created the ENR Top 100 Green Contractors and Design Firms rankings and the ENR quarterly Construction Industry Confidence Index that measures firm executives' market outlook.

This survey data is used by industry firms and other businesses, government agencies and academics also to gauge the health of the global construction market.

A graduate of Fordham College in New York City and the Fordham University School of Law, Gary previously wrote extensively on employee relations in such areas as labor and immigration law and employee drug testing.

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